The present application relates generally to power systems and, more particularly, to a sensor assembly and methods of measuring the proximity of a machine component relative to a sensor.
Known machines may exhibit vibrations and/or other abnormal behavior during operation. One or more sensors may be used to measure and/or monitor such behavior and to determine, for example, an amount of vibration exhibited in a machine drive shaft, a rotational speed of the machine drive shaft, and/or any other suitable operational characteristic of an operating machine or motor. Often, the sensors are coupled to a machine monitoring system that includes a plurality of monitors. The monitoring system receives signals representative of measurements from one or more sensors, performs at least one processing step on the signals, and then transmits the modified signals to a diagnostic platform that displays the measurements to a user.
At least some known sensors use one or more power detection devices to detect and/or to determine an amount of power contained within signals received from an antenna when monitoring an object. However, known antennas may receive frequencies from signal sources other than the monitored object. The power detection device may be unable to distinguish a frequency associated with the monitored object from frequencies received from other sources. As such, known power detection devices may undesirably determine an amount of power contained within the plurality of frequencies, rather than only determining an amount of power contained solely within the frequency or frequencies associated with the monitored object. As such, a proximity measurement based on the inaccurate power measurement may also be inaccurate.